


Overture

by souyo_dealer



Category: Neon Genesis Evangelion
Genre: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Kawoshin - Freeform, M/M, Oneshot, expect nothing good from it, my first fic in like forever, rain is symbolic, shinji is a sad baby
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-06
Updated: 2019-03-06
Packaged: 2019-11-12 16:49:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18014645
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/souyo_dealer/pseuds/souyo_dealer
Summary: In which Shinji gets overwhelmed with things. (Or, alternatively, in which Kaworu happens to like walks in the rain.)





	Overture

**Author's Note:**

> i'm gonna pretend that nge is still relevant and post this because i have no life,  
> this is my first time writing in a long time and i impulse wrote this whole thing with little to no planning and mild revisions, so. hm! hope this isn't utter garbage yanno let's think that,  
> i'm just a sad little gay. enjoy.

        At the age of fourteen, one shouldn't have to be so stressed about such mature things. Things like the death of your mother, the less than supreme nature of your father, the way that all your closest friends seem to treat you like something replaceable -

        No, this was no sort of life for a normal fourteen year old. But, even on better days, in better lives, Shinji would never be a normal fourteen year old boy.

        Now, even in a world free of cruel Angels and an unavoidable doom, he couldn't seem to catch a break. Homework he couldn't seem to understand, complicated relationships with others, every last thing seemed to be piling up. It ended up with him almost stuttering over his words from any simple question or offhand comment from Asuka, or when Misato asked him to take care of chores? Couldn't even process her words for a good few moments, and by that point someone was upset, and he couldn't find the words to apologize, and.

        Well, it just went on and on.

        So, of course, at one small quip from Asuka poking fun at something he'd done wrong, he was out the door, ignoring her calls of his name as it shut, walking farther and farther, no particular destination in mind. He just had to get out of there.

        Weather is usually something one would take into account before taking a stroll, of course, dressing appropriately or perhaps not leaving the house at all if things got bad enough. Though, unfortunately, Shinji was not in the mood for thinking things through in the slightest, and that is how he ended up beneath the barely-existent cover of a bus stop roof. Not his best move.

        Eyes covered by his hands, he sat solemnly, back hunched as tears were held begrudgingly back, the restriction of outward emotions a conscience decision even in this damp, sorrow mood. Old habits die hard, but some live forever. Trembling, his thoughts prevailed over the clutter of rain on metal, two violent forces fighting for control.

        ' You're so pathetic. You can't even handle a single insult. Come on, Shinji, you're supposed to be mature, right? Handle these sorts of things easily? Or are you just that worthless, you wanna cry like a baby at every little thing. Pathetic. Pathetic.

        PATHETIC. '

        And slowly, of course, despite his best efforts, tears began to slip out, choked sobs mixing with the slamming downpour, increasing in force, hitting the concrete, but not quite loud enough for Shinji to be silenced. As his whimpers grew to moans grew to aggressive cries of pain and despair, the storm never once settled, almost a parallel to the boy's own emotions.

        This didn't go on much longer, though, because soon enough, there was a small change. A slightly louder noise, one that Shinji had grown hypersensitive to; footsteps. Hard and fast, barely audible in the rain, almost only felt throughout the ground, back through his own feet and legs, shooting through his body. Head turned upwards quickly, his posture fixed itself, back straightening as he pulled a blank expression, squinting into the sheet of water covering his vision.

        Someone with an umbrella, albeit malfunctioning in a mess like this, moving swiftly (yet not quite hurriedly) to get to Shinji; or, perhaps, to the cover and safety of the bus stop. Their hair was a messy blur, grey tones matching the rest of their outfit, even if things were dull from the rain and motion. Quickly, it became evident that this was no stranger in any sort of the word. It was Kaworu, which was both good and bad for many reasons. 

        Kaworu Nagisa: Junior, one year above himself. Good friend; hell, Shinji would go as far as to even call him his best friend. Loyal, trustworthy, and overall great guy. But this was also why the situation was a lot worse now- he wouldn't want him to see his sorry state. Ever. Maybe if he smiled enough, he wouldn't notice in the calamity?

        In the span of a few seconds that managed to feel like hours, his steps grew slower and louder, until they were beside him, a few stray drops of water hitting his arm as the other teen shook off and closed his umbrella. As Shinji had assumed, it hadn't done much, his pants and most of his shirt as good as soaked. He simply looked at him for a moment, words once again failing to come. That's alright, though. Kaworu wasn't the best with words, either. After a moment of self analysis and internal complaint of his less than dry status, the red-eyed male seemed to register Shinji's presence.

        "Ah. Greetings, Shinji-kun! You're wet."

        That's the sort of thing- he'd say strange or blunt things, obvious and unnecessary, but they still managed to be interesting nonetheless. While his face held its usual stoic smile and soft glow, Shinji was stumbling over his few words, looking down at his lap. Sometimes, eye contact is just too much.

        "You're way more wet than I am, Kaworu-kun. Don't worry about me."

        He almost wanted to slap himself already, sure that something in what he'd spoken wasn't grammatically correct. If it was, the taller hadn't noticed, opting to sit beside Shinji, leaving a healthy space between them. Another thing; he knew how to respect his personal space. It was a small comfort, even as his heart continued beating rapidly.

        "Nonetheless, you are still damp, and you have no umbrella on hand." Correct. "So, how long have you been here, then?" 

        Sometimes, Kaworu was too observant for his own good. Shrugging soundlessly, tired blue eyes stayed staring forward, trained now on a small pebble that had managed to make its way onto the sidewalk. Hearing his friend hum beside him, Shinji nearly flinched, unsure of why, exactly, he'd made the noise. Had he said something wrong? About to make some sort of protest, Kaworu spoke again, interrupting his already tangling thoughts.

        "I guess that doesn't really matter, does it? Nor does it matter why you are here. It doesn't change reality- we are here, and that is an intangible fact."

        Leaning back against the plastic backing of the bench, Kaworu stretched his arms up, preparing to settle himself in for as long as he needed to be there. This shocked Shinji again, as all things he did ended up doing, but. Not in a bad way. Relaxing, if anything, to simply be accepted with no criticism just for... being. Existing.

        Kaworu tended to have that effect on him, huh?

        Taking a deep breath, Shinji mimicked his actions, leaning back and shifting over, shoulder just barely nudging against the other's, heart slowing comfortably as he stayed staring forward, the sway of a tree branch in the rain. Even focused so severely on the flora, he noticed a ghost of a smile float across Kaworu's lips, a small breath of a laugh releasing. Rare for him to laugh at all, but welcome always.

        Because, sometimes all you need is for someone to be there. It was all Shinji could ask for, really; Kaworu's appearance, as if his very own guardian angel sent down by God's hand. There, for no good reason, though he wasn't exactly asking for one. 

        And slowly, he smiled, beginning to speak of the direction and speeds the clouds blew around at, the heavy downpour fading to a gentle sprinkle. 

        Everything was going to be ok.


End file.
